How The MAD Mix became a platform

The MAD Mix started out as an idea. Being both very communicative individuals passionate about advertising and marketing, we were missing an outlet that allowed us to truly express that same passion that brought us together as friends.
We were encouraged to start The MAD Mix from our professors mainly to build ourselves professionally as well as providing an extra layer for upcoming interviews. Starting something from the ground up gave us the kind of practical experience that we needed as we were approaching graduation. The lessons we learned in school were helpful, but at the end of the day there are certain things that you need to learn outside the classroom. The MAD Mix gave us the opportunity to practice executing the types of strategies that we were being shown from our professors. This included building a social presence, social campaigning, developing our audience of core readers, and more. Writing articles on a weekly basis taught us the value consistency, hard work, and creating engaging content.
The value of the content is diverse, and that allows us to tap into our target market. We’re able to pull strings from different areas to capture our readers. It also provides something for everybody. From articles about Kanye West, to Tinder, and everything in between, we’re able to provide such diverse content that not only we enjoy writing, but others enjoy reading.
What started as a simple blog for us to get our ideas out about the advertising and marketing world out there, The MAD Mix quickly developed into something we think is much more than that: a platform. When we were students, one of the biggest functions that the platform served was to help us breach into the advertising and marketing industry. At interviews, networking events, and social gatherings, discussing The MAD Mix was something that became almost second nature. Because we love the industry, it became easy to talk about, even with complete strangers. It provided us with a level of comfort while talking about something we’re both passionate and whole-heartedly invested in. Did that work? Absolutely. We’re both currently just under a year in the industry and the future hasn’t looked brighter.
It’s funny, when we were students, the goal was to find work and The MAD Mix would help us get there. Now it’s a completely different ball game. It’s not just a way for us to have a conversation piece, or something to talk about in further interviews. It’s now completely driven by our passion. As of now, our strategy has shifted. It helped us find work, and now we’re using it as an outlet for our expanding network of content creators, designers, digital analysts, and more. As a great example, we just expanded our team to include two talented students who share the same sort of passion that got this entire platform started.
It took a few months of planning and strategy development, but now we’re putting our focus into evolving the platform even further-and they’ve been allowing us to implement that strategy.
Advice for graduating students? Start now. Getting involved and building a presence are key strengths needed to help find employment after graduation. Most students are going to have relatively similar credentials, but the value of what employers are looking for is going to come outside the classroom. Your out-of-school hustle is what’s going to put you ahead and set you apart from the competition. Ultimately, your passion will drive this interest. With over 30 guest writers, and articles crossing just about every topic, The MAD Mix is an accessible resource for those looking to stand –out, and do more.
We’re always looking for people to get involved the same way we were looking to get involved. How do you get started? Check out http://www.themadmix.com. It can start here.
Instagram: @The_MADMix
Twitter: @The_MADMix
Facebook: @MADMixOfficialLinkedinWritten by Dakarai Turner & Malick BaMalick Ba:Malick Ba is an advertising and marketing specialist currently living in Toronto, Canada. As an alumni of both the University of Ottawa and Humber College, Malick specializes in communications, strategy, advertising, and marketing. Currently, Malick works at an advertising agency in downtown Toronto and is looking forward to how he can further leave his mark upon the advertising and marketing world. Follow him on Instagram, and connect with him on LinkedIn.Dakarai Turner:Dakarai is an ambitious professional with a passion for advertising and marketing, and is currently employed as an account coordinator for an ad agency in Toronto. When he’s not at the office, he’s most likely trying out a new restaurant, browsing AdWeek, or binge watching something on Netflix. Dakarai, but you can call him Dak. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and connect with him on LinkedIn.